GCN names 2013 IT executives of the year

GCN has named three executives known for their ability to build IT systems and lead programs in a period of extraordinary technology change and financial streamlining as its 2013 IT executives of the year.

Danny Werfel, acting commissioner of the IRS, was named GCN’s Government IT Executive of the Year.

Since he became controller of the Office of Management and Budget in 2009, Werfel has been a leading force for the application of technology in federal financial management, including the launch of Recovery.gov as a transparency platform for data about funds spent to stimulate the economy after the 2009 financial crisis.

In May of this year, he moved to the IRS, where he was appointed acting commissioner and where he sees a critical need for modernizations, particularly for fraud detection technology, which he championed while at OMB. Werfel has become someone the administration calls on to take on some of its toughest management and IT challenges.

Stan Soloway, president of the Professional Services Council, was named GCN IT Industry Executive of the Year.

For over 20 years, Soloway has been a tireless advocate for reform of government IT acquisition. His ability to dig deep into the details of the government-industry nexus and understand its currents distinguishes him from most public sector IT observers, according to Renny DiPentima, former CIO of the Social Security Administration and former CEO of SRA International.

After 12 years with Soloway at the helm, PSC has grown from 115 member companies to about 370 members, making it a commanding voice in Washington on legislative and regulatory policy issues related to government procurement and outsourcing.

Robert Childs, chancellor of the National Defense University’s iCollege, is the recipient of GCN’s Hall of Fame award.

Childs has led the transformation of the iCollege into a global hub of learning and understanding of the role of IT in the public sector. In 2010, he and his staff reached a key milestone on that path when the Education Department approved iCollege’s Government Information Leader Master of Science degree program.

Since then and with funding from the Defense Department’s CIO office, iCollege has been able to partner with foreign defense ministries in Europe, the Pacific Rim and the Middle East to gather and share knowledge on cyber-related topics. Altogether, 16,000 students have completed programs at NDU’s iCollege as of fall 2013.